Adonis – this year’s Nobel Prize winner? Jens Lapidus popular at Kumla. Six out of ten Swedes are overweight. Sweden’s Embassy in Israel closes. Red-greens: Sharpen the punishment for purchase of sex.

Adonis – this year’s Nobel Prize winner?
Who will win this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature? Well, according to the betting site Unibet, the prestigious prize will go to Syrian poet Adonis (aka Ali Ahmad Said Asbar). Adonis, who has made his career largely in Lebanon and France, has written more than twenty books in his native Arabic and is considered a pioneer of modern Arabic poetry. He is often seen as a rebel. Second on the list of speculative Nobel Prize winners after Adonis, is American Philip Roth (who received the Pulitzer Prize for his 1997 novel “American Pastoral”) followed by Japanese Haruki Murakami (“Kafka on the Shore”), American Joyce Carol Oates (who received the Pulitzer Prize for her 2001 “Blonde”), and Korean poet Ko Un (“The Sound of My Waves”). As always Tomas Tranströmer is among the authors discussed, and this year also Tomas Bodström and Jan Guillou – although it is difficult to imagine the prize going to either one of the latter two. The Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced early in October. www.unibet.com

Jens Lapidus popular at Kumla
Do prisoners at Sweden’s largest prison Kumla speculate about potential Nobel Prize winners? Maybe they do. But Adonis is not on the top of the list with books they read. No, the prisoners of Kumla like to read crime books, especially if written by men. And the most popular choice is Jens Lapidus’ graphic novel “Gängkrig 145” (“Gang War 145”). “It’s good to see that these books are successful even inside the walls, and with a group of people who might not otherwise read that much,” says Anna-Karin Korpi, press manager at Wahlström & Wahlström, the publishing company behind Lapidus’ books. According to Kriminavården (The Swedish Prison and Probation Service), prisoners have the same right as others to read and have access to information, even though these crime books might inspire them in unsuitable ways. It’s very difficult to have a certain book banned. The Kumla top list looks like this: 1. Jens Lapidus’ “Gängkrig 145” (“Gang War 145”) 2. Lasse Wierup’s “Infiltratören” 3. Lapidus’ “Aldrig fucka upp” (“Never Fuck Up”) 4. Roberto Saviano’s “Gomorra” (“Gomorrah”) 5. Markus Lutteman’s “El choco” (“El choco”).

Six out of ten Swedes are overweight
Almost six out of ten Swedish employees are overweight according to research done by Previa, Sweden’s leading business in health and the work place. Over 70 000 employees in Sweden have been weighed and measured by Previa, and 57% of them had a BMI (Body Mass Index) of over 25, which means overweight. 14% of them had such a high BMI that they were defined as obese. BMI is a heuristic measure of body weight based on a person’s weight and height, and though it has been debated, it is the most widely used diagnostic tool to identify weight problems. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet.

Sweden’s Embassy in Israel closes
Sweden’s embassy in Tel Aviv has closed after having received a letter containing white powder. Nobody at the Embassy has been injured but the employees are now working in a different location. It is not yet clear for how long the embassy will be closed according to the Foreign Ministry in Sweden. There were also letters to the embassy, which condemn Israel's policy on the West bank. Letters with unidentified white powder have also been sent to the embassies of the United States and Spain. Israeli authorities are now analyzing the letters according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which also writes that the letters contained pro-Nazi statements.

Red-greens: Sharpen the punishment for purchase of sex
The three parties in the red-green opposition (Social democrats, Greens and the Left party) want to sharpen the punishment for buying sexual services. Today the maximum punishment is six months in prison but in practice sex buyers are sentenced to pay a fine. The red-greens, who have failed to agree on a joint program on crime, have agreed to raise the punishment to one year in prison. This has also been the proposal from a resent public investigation.

Syrian poet Adonis, considered a pioneer of modern Arabic poetry, tops Unibet's list of speculative Nobel Prize Winners. Adonis was born in Al Qassabin, Latakia, Syria in 1930 and has been a considered candidate for the prize before. His work includes: "If Only the Sea Could Sleep" and "The Pages of Day and Night".

Philip Roth (1933-), number two on Unibet's list for Nobel Prize winners in Literature in 2010. Roth is famous for his Zuckerman novels ("The Ghost Writer", "Zuckerman Unbound", "The Anatomy Lesson", and "The Prague Orgy")

Joyce Carol Oates (1938-) also on Unibet's list. The New York Times wrote about Oates that her "name is synonymous with productivity". Her work include: "Bellefleur", "American Appetites" and "You Must Remember This".

Adonis is hardly a favorite among the inmates at Kumla, Sweden's largest prison (hardly a surprise either) but Jens Lapidus is. Lapidus is a Swedish criminal defense lawyer and author who made his debut in 2006 with "Snabba Cash" ("Easy Money").